... When No One Else is Watching

Holy !@%$#!

A couple weeks back I posted about my quest to run a 5k in October. I've been doing really good on my running program and t0night I ran for 20 minutes straight at a 12 minute per mile pace! I'm in shock a bit because the last time I ran almost two miles on the road was in high school. Yeah, reading that last sentence makes me sad too. I may just pull this 5k off - who knew?

So What if we Finished Last?

This past week has been insanely busy, hence the absence of posts on my blog. It's incredible how everyday life catches up with you and suddenly 24 hours in the day doesn't seem like nearly enough. If I had one wish, I would wish for God to create a couple more hours per day, just so I could feel like I'm caught up.

I could tell you about everything we have done this week but I think I'll just focus on the event that happened Saturday. A couple of my girlfriends and I decided to enter our children into the Teddy Bear 1k! It's an event for children in benefit of the Children's Justice Center, an amazing center which provides services to children who have went through different sorts of child abuse and are in the stages of testifying against their abusers in court cases. And that's just a small part of what this center provides. The Teddy Bear 1k is for children of all ages who want to run/walk the 1k and for participating and paying the dues they received a t-shirt and a teddy bear once they crossed the finish line.

It was an eventful day, it rained in the morning  but the rain was actually quite welcome since it has been so hot for the past two months. Many family members came out to cheer the kids on and we learned that our kids were actually the youngest entrants. It's never too early for teaching the importance of physical fitness! When we started out we were put at the back of the pack because the organizers didn't want the older kids to trample the little ones - good plan. The race started and you have never seen so many children run so fast! I was actually quite impressed because I love seeing kids excited about doing anything physical nowadays, I hate that the television and computer games have taken over our children. Avery and her friends didn't take off quite as quickly but once they did they really enjoyed themselves. We were the last to finish, which was quite evident by the fact we had a police escort following right behind us to let everyone know we were the last racers. But for three little ones between the ages of 18 - 20 months I think it's great they were able to walk almost three-quarters of a mile and keep smiles on their faces.

We were greeted at the finish line by a large amount of people cheering and letting us all know how great they thought it was that we brought out children that were so young and also commented on how cute and boisterous they all were. They received their teddy bears and then had their pictures taken by a woman from the local paper who asked if she could put their pictures in the paper with her article. Their first fifteen minutes! It's a monthly paper so I will make sure I get the issue and post the picture here when it comes out.

It was such a fun day and we were lucky to spend it with some great friends. A perfect Saturday, I wish all days could be this much fun!

Race Day!

 

Another Year Over

I'm 31,,, and I'm kinda bummed about it. Why am I more depressed about turning 31 than I was about turning 30? I'm keeping my chin up and telling myself 31 is going to be a great year. Positivity.

Good Lord, life goes by too fast.

My New Obsession

I've set a goal. The goal is to run a 5k by the end of October. I have always secretly wanted to run a 5k, actually the goal was to run a marathon but let's be realistic - baby steps. My friend, Lisa and I have decided we are going to run the Colt Stampede at Wheeler Farm on October 20th. This race helps fund Cottonwood High School's running program and before you ask, no, we don't have any affliation with CHS. The only reason we chose this race is because it gives us time to train, and the course is FLAT, flat as a pancake, flat is good. Did I mention it's a flat course? That means no hills, which in Utah is hard to come by.

I've started following the Couch to 5k program and am just heading in to my third week. It's going good, not too difficult at this point but I hear when you get to week six you need to just muster up all your strength and not give up. Oh, and pray. It's really strange, I have always had a fairly easy go of it where running on the treadmill is concerned but I have discovered that running on the treadmill and running on the road are two vastly different beasts. It took me a while to build up to being able to run two miles on the treadmill and now that I'm on the road I'm realizing what a complete sissy I am. Hence the reason I decided to start this program from the very beginning. It's not as easy as it looks people!

I have never been a runner, which is why I probably have had this goal in my mind for a long time. It's something I can accomplish, which in all reality I have never thought I could before now. I'm really starting to appreciate being physically fit and want to see how much my body can do. When I was younger I took for granted how much my body was able to accomplish. Sure, I wasn't winning races but I had no problem finishing the 1.25 mile physical fitness test my senior year of high school. It was simple. Now? Not so much.

Now, the most interesting thing is starting to happen in my quest to finish a 5k. I think I'm becoming a runner! I really enjoy the thought of getting out there and feeling my feet pound the pavement. I have a rush of adrenaline go through me whenever I finish a workout and feel very empowered. It's exciting to set a goal for myself and know I will accomplish it. See you at the finish line!

Summer Lovin', Had me a Blast!

Aaaah, summer. I love summer, but I can say that about all seasons, and living in Utah is great for that exact reason, you get all four seasons when you live here. The great thing about summer is the fact there are no rules, the kids are out of school, riding their bikes, going to the sno-shack to get themselves a cold treat, and splashing around in the pools. I know I don't have any school age children, but I immensely enjoy watching all of them as it reminds me so much why I love this time of year and of my own childhood.

I've went out of my way this summer to make sure Avery gets to do all of the things children should do when the sun is shining and there seems to be no end to daylight. Rob's parents were able to come out this year and spend a lot of time with their grandchild and she thoroughly enjoyed every minute she spent with them. We all took her to the zoo and, now that she can understand the concept, she loved every second she spent visiting all the animals she usually only sees in books. She has also spent a huge amount of time at the park (this was the grandparents' favorite activity as well) and now that she can walk and climb all over everything it's fun to see her exploring all the trouble she can get herself into. She used to love going on the swings but it seems she is wanting more and more to just walk around and play in the dirt and try to climb up the slides.

We also have filled up her kiddie pool in our backyard and let her play in the water. She would stay in there all day if we let her (our labrador Laila would as well,) but after a couple of hours mama turns into a grinch and wrestles her inside the house so that she doesn't burn. How she still has her fair skin, I will never know. Thank goodness for powerful sunscreen, because anyone who has seen Avery knows she is the fairest child alive!

Speaking of the indoors, we still do our Little Gym class and Avery LOVES it! She has now been put into the older age group but she is the youngest in that group. I always have to remember that she is the youngest when I see a child doing something more advanced. I worry about why she hasn't done that said activity and then I realize the other child is two and a half and Avery's only nineteen months. She's getting quite good at a lot of the activities. She walks the balance beam with very little help from me (just spotting), she can do sommersaults by herself, she will hang onto the uneven bars and try to pull her feet up, and she will do a wheel barrow stand on the bar with spotting. Not bad for a nineteen month old!

We also get together with a playgroup once a week and it gives her a chance to see all her friends. We go to storytime at the bookstore, splash parks, many different learning activities, the aquarium and a lot of trails for long walks. She enjoys everything she gets to do and see.

I know this is somewhat of a boring post but I wanted to write it all down and remember how busy the summer of 2007 was. It's a bit sad that she won't remember a bit of it, but I will and now she'll be able to read about how busy a one and a half year old can be!

My Head Hurts

In the last couple of years I have made the effort to really know all sides of any referrendum I am asked to vote on. YES, I vote, I believe everyone should, just ask my husband - a man I physically manhandled to get into the voting booth. Even though I know my vote will most likely not count here in Utah because I am primarily democratic in my views compared to most of my republican neighbors (and husband), I still feel it's important to get out and be part of the democratic process. We have the right to vote; so many people would give their left arm to be able to vote for their leaders and the laws they are asked to obey.

With all of that being said, I decided to read up on an issue that has made multiple headlines here in Utah as well as across the nation. The Utah School Voucher Program. I have always been aware of the debate and I have my opinion but wanted to make sure my opinion was in line with the facts. I found that this program is the most extensive voucher program being put to the public vote in history,,, in the entire nation. I've also found that people and associations are extremely motivated by money, which makes me ill. And to top it off, I think it's crazy that this is actually such a discussion topic in Utah because it's not like we have the best public education system in the country,,, actually, it's one of the worst in the amount of money spent per child in the school system. The last sentence, by no means, is saying the education is bad, I'm a product of the public education system and feel I turned out pretty darn well, I just feel it's horrible that we spend so little on our childrens' education in this state,,, especially since we have sooo many children to educate. Sad, so sad.

I know how I will vote on this referrendum when it's my turn to enter the ballot box. I just hope many people will be in line with my way of thinking and echo my vote. (No, I'm not going to tell you how I'm going to vote, a girl never tells.)